Writing Sample Cutoff

[Guest Ronin]

Sorry if this has been addressed before, I couldn't find any thread discussing this exact topic.

 

What kind of score should we be aiming for on the writing sample? Obviously different schools will have different cutoffs, but as a general rule, where should we be aiming? I've been doing very well on them so far (I think) in my Kaplan course, but I just want to know the expectation that I should compare my scores to. Thanks!

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there Ronin,

 

When I had a similar question as you I was told to generally aim for a Q, but as you mentioned, each school's cut-offs tend to be different. A Q, by the way, ends up being a total score of ~7, so a 3 and 4 (or some other combination of scores) on the two sub-tests.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

A 'Q' is usually assigned to the 75th percentile, AFAIK. Thus if you can achieve that score, then you'll be set for pretty much all of the Canadian schools (in terms of writing sample cutoffs)!

 

Best of luck!

Timmy

[Guest Ronin]

Wow...I've been getting consistent 10's on the WS, go me.

 

So I assume a "10" with Kaplan equates to a T? What percentile would that put me in?

 

If only my WS score compensated for my BS section...

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hey there Ronin,

 

A "T" is considered to be a perfect score, i.e., two 6s on each essay. Very few test writers receive this--greater than the 99th percentile on the past few exams, I believe. :rolleyes

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen